1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a modular jack having integrated over current protection for ensuring high signal transmission performance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Almost all appliances require both data connectivity and a power supply. Network devices typically communicate via wired data lines and receive power from a separate line. For example, personal computers (PCs) may communicate Ethernet signals via category five (CAT-5) Ethernet cable and power can be transmitted through the Ethernet port to an external device. On the other hand, a standard CAT-5 Ethernet cable has four twisted pairs, but only two of these are used for 10Base-T and 100Base-T. Therefore, providing power to an end device using the unused twisted pairs Ethernet cable is desirable in many situations. Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology is a revolutionary technology that allows different types of devices, to receive power as well as data over the single standard CAT-5 Ethernet cable, without needing to modify the existing Ethernet infrastructure. Generally, a modular jack, especially stacked RJ45 type modular jack with integrated magnetic components is employed as Ethernet jacks for networking applications.
A design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,440 to Hyland et al., which discloses an electrical connector with power module. The electrical connector includes an electrical subassembly having a first and a second contact array assemblies, a third printed circuit board (PCB) assembly containing signal conditioning components, an internal PCB, a first and a second magnetic modules and a power module. The first and second magnetic modules are electrically connected with the first and second contact array assemblies, the internal PCB and the third PCB assembly via a plurality of pins embedded into the first and second magnetic modules. The power module is electrically connected with the first and second contact array assemblies, the internal PCB and the third PCB assembly via a plurality of conductors embedded into the power module. However, the powered module must continue to draw a minimum current. Therefore, there is a need to provide integrated over current protectors for the power module.
Hence, any improvement on avoiding the limitations disclosed above is welcomed.